Difference Concept is one of the most commonly tested problem sums in upper primary. Many children find it challenging to conceptualise and apply the idea of using differences in values to solve these problem sums. The application of Difference Concepts gets even more challenging as there are several variation to Difference Concepts which require some tweaks in approaching these questions.
Here is the first one!
Eg: (For Primary 5-6)
Anna baked 126 cupcakes everyday. Five days after Anna started baking, Yenni started baking 180 cupcakes each day. How many cupcakes had Anna baked when Yenni had baked 504 more cupcakes than Anna?
Step 1: Find out how many more cupcakes did Anna start baking before Yenni started.
126 x 5 = 630
Step 2: Find the total difference. (In this case, Yenni needs 630 cupcakes to be baking the same as Anna and another 504 cupcakes to be more than Anna)
630 + 504 = 1134
Step 3: Find difference in 1 group. (In this case, the difference between Yenni and Anna in 1 day)
180 – 126 = 54 (Yenni can make 54 more cupcakes than Anna per day)
Step 4: Find the number of days taken
1134 ÷ 54 = 21 days (Yenni)
Step 5: Find the number of days Anna had taken to bake
21 + 5 = 26 days
Step 6: The total number of cupcakes made by Anna
26 x 126 = 3276
And Voilà, there you have your question solved in 6 simple steps!
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